You Don't Need Wings to Fly
by Bookdancer
Summary: Joe dies, but visits Frank a couple months later with a message.


**Okay, so I had this great new idea (although I know some of you are probably going to be like: _Another_ tragedy? How many of these things does this person think of?). But I can tell you, it's not that much of a tragedy. It's just a little one. ... Okay, so Joe died! But the rest is happy, okay?**

**Anyway, I had the idea and I had to write it down... so here it is!**

**I do not own the Hardy Boys. (If I did, Joe would be kidnapped, tortured, and/or severely hurt in every single book. I really like Favorite Character Whumpage.)**

You Don't Need Wings to Fly

Frank Hardy lay on his bed, absolutely miserable. It'd been two months... but he couldn't bring himself to let go. Joe was his brother, and when he had died saving Frank, well, it'd broken Frank's heart. It had broken Frank.

See, two and a half months ago, the Hardy Boys got a case. They were to go undercover in a smuggling ring. They had almost succeeded when Dwayne Andrews, the ring leader, had taken a potshot at Frank. It would have hit his heart. He would have died. But Joe pushed Frank out of the way, taking the bullet for himself. Instead of Frank, Joe died.

_'Seventeen,'_ Frank thought, _'he died at seventeen.'_ Frank sighed. _'At least I would have been eighteen. An adult.'_

That was when Frank felt it. A soft, warm breeze, smelling of chocolate and pine. Joe's favorite food and the scent of Joe's favorite holiday. Chocolate and Christmas. Now Frank's least favorite food and holiday. Frank groaned and got up to get the air refresher. He didn't want to be reminded.

"Oh, Frankie." A voice whispered. "You don't want to do that."

Frank froze. The only person who had still (and only sometimes) called him that was...

"Joe?" Frank breathed. He turned around to see... "Shaun Cassidy?"*

"What?" Shaun asked, confused. Then he looked in Frank's mirror, said, "Oops.", and then turned into...

"Joe?" Frank asked again, "What... how is this possible?"

"Easy." Joe said. "I'm your guardian angel. Always have been, always will be. I was born to protect you."

"What... but..." Frank spluttered.

"But you were always the one protecting me?" Joe guessed, and Frank nodded, still pretty shocked. "Well, a guardian angel's got to have a cover, right?"

"Huh?" Frank asked.

Joe rolled his eyes, "It's like acting, but a lot harder and more dangerous. Basically, we hide the fact that we're your guardian angel. In fact, we don't even know it. It's just a born instinct. Everyone is a guardian angel to someone, and someone is your guardian angel." Joe sighed. "The important people's guardian angel always die young." Then Joe grinned. "Guess that means I'm more important than you, huh?"

Then Iola appeared. "Joseph Hardy!" She scolded. "That's rubbish and you know it!" Then she disappeared.

"Oh, well." Joe shrugged. "It was fun while it lasted."

"You mean you're not my guardian angel?" Frank asked.

"No, the important people's thing is rubbish."

"Wait." Frank frowned. "Then who was your guardian angel?"

"Mine?" Joe asked. "Iola. I thought you would've guessed already. Anyway, someone else will be born soon to be your GA."

"GA?"

"Guardian Angel. It gets so long sometimes, ya know?"

Then Frank realized something he had missed before. "Wait, where are your wings?"

"Oh, Frank." Joe sighed, suddenly not acting like his bubbly self. "When will you learn? You- oh, yeah. I almost forgot why I came here. Let me go, Frank. It was my time, not yours. You still have a long life ahead of you. Live it to your full potential. Graduate, get a girlfriend, got to college, have a few kids, get married. Not necessarily in that order."

Then Joe began to fade. "I have to leave, Frank. Remember, let me go. Live life. And for your question, you already know."

And he was gone.

Frank stared at where his younger brother had been. He slowly lay down on his bed, suddenly exhausted. As he closed his eyes, he caught sight of an old Christmas present Joe had once given him. It was a carving of a flying squirrel, with a message written on it. As he fell asleep, Frank knew the message - and what Joe meant - were true. You don't need wings to fly.

**Hehe, get it? (For those of you who don't know, Shaun Cassidy played Joe Hardy in the Hardy Boys TV back in the '60s. '70s?)**

**Anyway, what'd you guys think? Good? Or bad?**

**Also, for you Hardy Boys and Alex Rider fans, I've got a crossover up between the two. I normally wouldn't advertise, but I haven't gotten any responses yet (not even a story alert or favorite story), and I worked really hard on it. Please check it out! It's called 'Two People are Better Than One'.**

**Please review!**


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